The suspect in the shooting deaths of two Topeka police officers has died from gunshot wounds in a local hospital, according to a release from the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation officials have identified the man as David Edward Tiscareno, 22, of Topeka, Shawnee County Sheriff Herman Jones said at a Monday afternoon press conference at the Law Enforcement Center, where a memorial for fallen officers stands adorned with burning candles and flowers to remember the officers killed Sunday.

Topeka Cpl. David Gogian, 50, and Officer Jeff Atherly, 29, died after they were shot in the head Sunday evening outside Dillons, 1400 S.W. Huntoon. They were responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle.

Gogian started as a Topeka police officer Sept. 27, 2004, after 13 years of being a reserve officer for the department. Atherly began on April 4, 2011.

Law enforcement officers on Sunday night named Tiscareno as the lead suspect in the shooting. Officers had been stationed outside 306 S.W. Western from 1:30 a.m. to about 7 a.m. on a report that he could be found at the residence. They used loudspeakers and sounded sirens in an to attempt to make contact with him for more than one hour.

Shortly after 6 a.m. Monday, officers deployed gas and shots were fired, the release states. The suspect had a gun and was hit, it says, but the sheriff’s office didn’t immediately know whether the suspect fired his weapon.

At his press conference later Monday afternoon, Jones said the suspect did fire once upon emerging from the house. Police returned fire.

After the altercation, a body was seen lying face down outside the home. The body was loaded into an ambulance and taken from the scene.

The wounded man was not immediately identified as Tiscareno.

However, a Topeka police officer several times called for “David” to come out of the house, with his hands up, before gunshots were heard and the injured person was taken from the house.

Dozens of candles brought to the memorial out front of the Law Enforcement Center continued to burn early Monday. An officer was seen standing next to the memorial bowing his head.

“It’s a tragedy. It’s clearly beyond words,” Police Chief Ron Miller said during a news conference Sunday night. “It’s unspeakable, almost, about why this happens and why this is happening in America at this stage in our history. But it is what it is.”

The release states the Kansas Bureau of Investigation will handle the case.

About seven minutes southwest of the home on Western, at the scene of the Sunday’s shooting, about five police cars at 10:30 a.m. sat in or around the parking lot of the Dillons, 1400 S.W. Huntoon.

At least 20 yellow tags could be seen scattered in the parking lot near the store, presumably marking bullet casings from the shooting, which was reported about 6:09 p.m. Sunday. Broken glass sat next to a pool of blood amidst the tags, almost directly in front of the store’s entrance. The entire parking lot was blocked off with yellow crime scene tape.

ACCOUNT FROM THE FIELD

Law enforcement officers with several agencies, including Topeka police, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and the KBI, had staked out the residence at 306 S.W. Western, a three-apartment structure that belongs to Larry and Patricia Bugg, since about 1:30 a.m. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Buggs knew Tiscareno.

At 5 a.m., officers were waiting on a warrant to arrive, according to a Shawnee County dispatcher.

In the near pitch blackness before the sun rose, sound was about the only sense many members of the media could use to report what was happening. About two dozen uniformed officers could be seen moving among the shadows. Every once and a while, media members, who were stationed at the south end of the block, near S.W. 4th and Western, could see outlines of officers crouched over with guns and helmets.

Shortly after 5 a.m., police Sgt. Lance Feyh started communicating with “David” through a loudspeaker. He repeated several times during the course of an hour the house was surrounded, that officers weren’t leaving, that “David” should come out the front door with his hands up and that he wouldn’t be harmed.

The first shots fired at the house sounded about 5:30 a.m., when five bangs rang out in rapid succession. It wasn’t clear who fired.

Immediately after, police could be heard yelling “Raise your hands” and “Move, move. Come out toward the street.” However, the person wasn’t the suspect, and police continued to call for “David” to leave the house. It was later revealed two tenants of the building, with no connection to Tiscareno, had escaped to safety.

After the tenants left, Feyh could be heard over the loudspeaker saying, “We know you’re in there, David. We talked to the people who were inside the house.”

At 5:55 a.m., after several more attempts to convince the suspect to leave the house on his own, Gish told him he had five minutes or officers would use force.

Minutes ticked by, with Feyh giving “David” a countdown every two minutes or so. Officers continued to sound the sirens of the vehicles posted outside the house. Nothing actually happened until about 6:15 a.m.

As a KBI vehicle moved around to the south side of the west facing house, two loud bangs, possibly gas canisters, could be heard.

Then came a third bang, and several voices yelling at once. Several more shots were fired.

“Just shot himself” and “Come out the front door, David!” could be heard over the ruckus. Feyh could be heard, calm over the loudspeaker, telling “David” to come out and “We know you’re hurt.”

After about one minute, officers gathered on the front porch around what appeared to be a man’s body. The person, who wasn’t moving and was face down, eventually was loaded into an ambulance and driven to a local hospital.

The man, later identified as Tiscareno, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Law enforcement were setting up crime scene tape about 7 a.m. around the northeast corner of S.W. 3rd and Western.

Other officers were stationed at surrounding streets to keep people away from danger. Western Avenue was closed down through 5th street as of 6:45 a.m.

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Condolences to the families of the fallen officers who gave their lives protecting us. I also hope the maggot cop-killer pulls his gun when he's finally found and is on the receiving end of a couple dozen goodbye wishes.

Lets hope this goon is still sucking air so he can be held accountable for his actions, yet most of the time they blow off there own watermelons before LEO's can cuff them.

I might add that a few years ago I met David Gogian when he came out to a residence in North Topeka to assist in a complaint of some juvee's loitering and disturbing the peace. He was a very nice and compassionate person and offered his business card and email if any suspicious activity occurred again to notify him.

While not the TPD, I served alongside the brave men and women of Riley County Police Department for many years, providing crisis assistance and advocacy to victims of violence. I have entered many homes and businesses where violent crime had occurred only moments before fully confident in my safety because of the efforts of those brave officers. Countless times I have witnessed LEOs go above and beyond the call of duty to insure security to victims and oftentimes emotional support as well. These men and women in uniform risk their lives everyday to protect us. It is a risky and valuable service we often take for granted until tragedies such as this. As we celebrate Corporal Gogian and Officer Atherly's lives and service, let's not forget that we need to be grateful for LEOs every day, not just those mornings following yet another senseless tragedy. Thank you for your service, Corporal Gogian and Officer Atherly. May the road rise to meet you, and may the be at your back. May God hold you in the palm of his hands. Amen.

Yes, it would be nice to have him face a jury of his peers but as so frequently happens in Shawnee County, some goodie-two-shoes on the jury would believe he could be rehabilitated. Frankly I hope we don't have to go through that. So now all you "do gooders" . . . . .bring it on!!!!!

they go to work everyday, not knowing what they will encounter. Gentlemen, thank you for your service to this community, we will hold your families close. Fellow officers, we thank you for your service, and we stand in support as you process this loss.

I gather that the perp is not breathing anymore, I feel for his family, but 'he' doesn't deserve the O2 after shooting two LEOs in the head.

I pray for the violence to stop.....for God's sake....we need to stop the violence.

For those so concerned about the shooter's ethnicity, one could presume he has a mother--maybe she's Native American. But it doesn't matter. His last name could be 17 constantants and 1 vowell. It doesn't matter.

What matters are the names of the officers and their families and all who knew these two fine men. Bless them.

Man enough to to play a gangster on the street but too cowardly to face the consequences of his choice. Because of this individual's choice, two officers, their families, fellow LEO in arms and a community have to process/deal with this tragedy. Going even further, this individual's family has to deal with the grief and shame of this person's choice. People find comfort in prayer during times of strife. Lean on each other, pray together and hope for change...

For my brother officers!! May God hold them in his arms and comfort them! RIP Brothers!!

To my brothers and sisters on the force, and in the military that knew the officers, please take peace that they unfortunately made the ultimate sacrifice doing what they loved, protecting and serving our community and country!!

To the families of our fallen brothers, our prayers are with you, and we are comforted to know that your Law Enforcement family will be there to help you in this great time of need!!

To the scumbag, a term that doesn't even fit you, because it is too good to describe you, may the devil turn up the heat even more in your room, so that you know that you will be paying for this stupidity for eternity!!

I personally would rather see him off himself or die like that and save us the expense and notoriety he woul have recieved by the media if there had been a trial. Just imagine how long that case would have dragged on. Probably at lest one year. His death is justice enough for me.

Condolences and prayers for the family of the officers taken should be the only thought on the minds of most. Understandably, family members will experience extreme emotions of grief and yes, ANGER. It is their right. But for the rest of you (and your hateful words.).. that place your right to judge, equivalent to that of God's---HUSH! The evil exposed as the violent action of an individual should not be carried on by your evil thoughts and words. Just be quiet and pray for once!